Asaoka's Time of the Day
by momorumo
Summary: Nobody's been giving Asaoka the time of his day, but of course we're not going to let that rest... Mami and Asaoka, one of the most understatedly romantic couples in manga-verse.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Mami-chan?"

Mami looked up from the book she was browsing in the bookstore, to find Asaoka- kun standing on the other side of the shelf, perpetual grin in place.

She couldn't see his eyes, when he was smiling like this, which was very often.

"Ohayo Asaoka-kun…" Mami let her greeting fade to a gentle smile. Though she didn't really have anything to say, not knowing him all that well, he was Haruna's friend, and that was good enough for her.

"What are you looking for?" Smile still firmly in place, Asaoka ambled over to her spot before a huge pile of shoujo manga. Mami noticed idly how tall he was. She'd never noticed this before, or rather, his height had never struck her because their gazes were always otherwise turned towards their friends, and their little romantic dramas.

Now that they were alone, it seemed a little strange, she did not really know this boy at all.

"I'm looking for a new release for Haruna. Now that she's got Yoh, she has less time for manga, but it doesn't mean she loves them any less." Mami said, with the air of an indulgent sister.

She watched as Asaoka picks up one of the colourful, flowery volumes. The boy and girl on the cover look very happy in their playful embrace. He turned to her, eyes still hidden in his smile.

"If only all of us could have fairy-tale endings, ne? I wonder what it would have been like had I been the one to coach her?"

Mami's eyes widened. The words and tone were flippant enough to make her think that they were spoken merely in jest, but she was very sure she saw a flash of regret pass across his face.

"I'm sure she is the very happiest she can be right now, with Yoh. And I think you have another happiness waiting for you somewhere." Mami replied, in all seriousness and without reproach.

The corners of his lips slipped, his unwavering smile faltered, which did not escape Mami's watchful gaze. In return, Asaoka received a slight upturn of her lips, a kind smile which seemed to reassure.

Asaoka could not read the meaning behind her dark eyes, eyes that held him in their view so steadily. He could not summon a light-hearted answer in time to dismiss her suggestion, such was his surprise at being discovered.

He felt himself to be in no uncertain danger. Words were his weapon, and he had been left bereft.

"I think I've got the right book, so I'll be heading off. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

Mami thought she had understood this strange boy a little more and Asaoka was left wondering just how much he had underestimated Haruna's closest friend.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sometimes it was painful to watch, Haruna's relationship with Yoh. Such times were rare though, and Haruna's natural good cheer was infectious. She was never at war with Yoh for long. She loved him too much.

But Mami had a pretty good idea who could be unhappy watching their two friends in love with each other. Aside from Asami, of course, who viewed Haruna as more of a pest in competition for her brother's affections.

Asaoka.

It was lunch, and she was contemplating him, chopsticks suspended. He was teasing Yoh about Haruna again, with a smug grin in place, like a cat that was very pleased.

Mami scolded herself for imagining too much. She knew she might be looking for something that was never there, but she could not shake the encounter at the bookstore away from her mind.

But Mami waited and watched, it was what she was accustomed to, from the long and hot afternoons spent on baseball, waiting for the pitch. Baseball's a funny sport. The players wait patiently for the throw, guessing. They taunt and bait and hope to trick, all too soon it is over. You'd miss the action if you weren't watching.

She was waiting for him to slip up and show himself again. And she was so engrossed that even Haruna, dense girl that she was, noticed her staring and was convinced that Mami-chan had a crush on Asaoka.

So Haruna hatched a little plan, let Yoh in on the secret and secured his reluctant cooperation, all while Mami was pre-occupied with observing her co-victim.

And so Mami found a note in her shoe cabinet after school "signed" by Asaoka, telling her to meet him in the AV room, and that he had something important to tell her.

It was a suspicious note, but having practically obsessed over him and his intentions the whole day, she failed to see suspicion where it was due. Misreading the note as Asaoka's wish to explain himself, she found herself walking towards the AV room at 3p.m. as asked, feeling a little foolish.

Asaoka found a similar note in his shoe cabinet, and thinking along much the same lines as Mami, found himself waiting in the room, with a strange kind of excitement roiling in the pit of his stomach.

He was roused by a knock on the door, and he had a moment to gather himself before Mami appeared, and closed the door behind her.

Mami felt a blush rising up to her cheeks as her eyes met his and scolded herself for being irrational, but no girl can be used to meeting a boy alone in the school's AV room. So she tried to force the colour from her cheeks with reasoning.

Asaoka was surprised to see her colour heighten, and he blinked to assure himself it was not a trick of the afternoon light. The colour was still there, but it was fading, and he saw Mami visibly pull herself together. He had originally talked himself out of feeling ridiculous, but he felt the strange animals in his stomach resurrect. And he was even more surprised when he thought the fleeting thought that she looked rather becoming with such colour in her cheeks.

"You had something to tell me?" Mami murmured, being brave. The room was quiet. Neither would have initiated a meeting alone, but neither knew that the other would not, and so they were unsure how it was supposed to go.

"Actually, I thought you wanted to tell me something…" Asaoka replied, hesitating.

"Well, I got this note and so I presumed you wanted to talk, or wanted advice…" Mami trailed off uncertainly, as she dug out the note. So Asaoka, intelligent boy that he was, realized that they had both been tricked. He startled Mami by darting past her to the door but he was too late, the lock clicked into place, Haruna having turned the key the moment she knew that one of them had discovered her plot.

Mami was a little frightened and now she too knew that they had been tricked. But she was still unaware that it was her darling friend who had hatched such a devious little plan.

Asaoka tried the door a couple more times, before turning back to Mami with a shrug and a resigned smile.

"I guess we're stuck in here for a while." He said, rather unhelpfully, showing her his note as explanation.

And so, both felt the incredible hilarity of the situation hitting them like a ton of bricks, and neither remembers who started laughing first, but they collapsed into a fit of giggles that held them long and fast in its grip.


	3. Chapter 3

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait till somebody walks past this door." Mami muttered gloomily. The door wouldn't budge.

Haruna had chosen the most isolated room in the whole school. She had a lot of luck to make up for her lack of commonsense.

Asaoka had settled himself into one of the chairs by the window, and was watching Mami give the doorknob a token try.

"I don't suppose you'd know who's behind this?" Asaoka said pleasantly, as if they weren't the victims of a bad prank. Mami shook her head.

"And you don't have any enemies? Like Haruna's crazy rival? Matsu-what's her name?" He continued, again Mami shook her head.

Then the light of realization seemed to dawn on them both at the same moment.

"Haruna…" they chorused, and then they lapsed into a slightly uncomfortable silence.

"I don't suppose she's given up on her match-making plan. I'm sorry to have dragged you into this." Mami said softly, aware of his possible feelings and feeling a little awkward to confront him about it.

"Why should you be sorry? Doesn't this mean she thinks highly enough of me to pair me off with her best friend? I should only feel honoured. And besides, there are worse people to be trapped in a room with. I'm actually feeling quite happy it's you, Mami-chan."

Mami didn't know why she was feeling irritated, but she was, and not knowing the reason for it only served to exacerbate the irritation. It was like an itch she couldn't reach.

Asaoka noticed the frown that appeared on Mami"s brow and was at quite a loss as to why. He'd said all the things a girl could possibly want to hear in a situation like this, and he was genuinely worried.

It would be difficult to pass the time if she really saw through him.

"Don't you ever stop smiling?" Mami felt bold. Her irritation was making her bold, and she heard the words before she felt them leave her lips. There was so much left unsaid, but Mami was pretty sure Asaoka knew exactly what she meant.

This was quite shocking, even to Mami herself, and she involuntarily took a step back. She'd said something rude, and she felt horrible.

If Asaoka wore spectacles, they would have slid right off his nose, such was his astonishment. As it were, he had perfect eyesight.

Instead, his smile was gone and his eyes were wide with surprise. Mami felt unexpectedly triumphant. And then she saw the hurt. It was quick, and if she hadn't been so fixated on his expression, she would have missed it completely.

Asaoka averted his eyes. He felt nearly transparent, like a moth pinned to the cloth by her piercing gaze. So he chose to pretend that he didn't understand.

"Why should I stop? I look friendly with a smile right? The girls find me more approachable that way." His smile was supposed to be nonchalant, but it was shaky at best.

Mami's slight regret at causing him pain was chased away by the returning irritation. She still wasn't sure why she was so edgy, but she didn't really care now.

The sun hung low in the sky behind him, and it was getting harder and harder to read what his eyes were trying to tell her, his face being in shadow.

The dust floated lazily in the afternoon rays. Mami walked through this veil slowly, like a dancer moving through water, leaving an eddy of lightly glimmering particles whispering excitedly in her wake.

She positioned herself in front of the window, but to a side, so that the sun shone unhindered on him, and she in shadow.

"If I told you I'm going to take Haruna's advice, what do you think I'll say next?" Mami said softly. They were so close Mami could see the flecks of black in his irises.

Asaoka looked away and shrugged. He'd guessed, but thought it safer to remain silent.

"When I said you were 60% serious about being my boyfriend, I was right, wasn't I?" Mami forged on bravely.

His eyes, as huge as saucers, searched her face. She was feeling strangely calm and her expression was serene. That serenity only increased his incredulity. She wouldn't dare, would she?

"I'm taking you up on your offer. I think I shall find out what all that boyfriend fuss is about."

At that moment, Mami's smile was frighteningly similar to one we would normally have found on Asaoka's face.

Asaoka's imaginary glasses fell to the floor.


	4. Chapter 4

He was so quick, Mami didn't notice until it was too late.

One minute, her back was warm from the afternoon sun, and the room was still and silent. The next minute, in a flurry of movement, she had her back to the cool metal of a cabinet, and her eyes were reflected in twin pools of the deepest black.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Asaoka was smiling, but this was nothing like his usual smiles. This expression was lazy, a touch flinty, and a little something else that Mami couldn't quite put her finger on.

And he was leaning over her, completely engulfing her smaller frame in his. He was so close she could smell his laundry soap.

Mami refused to tear her eyes from his, even though the compulsion to do so was strong. She would have been blushing furiously if she wasn't thus captivated.

"Do you know what you are asking for?" His breath ghosted softly over her cheek.

"I must." Came her seemingly composed reply. She was shaking inside.

"How do you know I'll say yes?" He pressed closer. The cabinet would not yield, and oddly, Mami wasn't sure if she wanted it to.

"Because I'm sure you won't refuse."

Asaoka wasn't even thinking anymore. That night, when he questions the impulse, all he can remember are her huge, doe-like eyes, the soft glow of afternoon light, and a wisp of her jet-black hair resting innocently on the swell of her cheek.

He raised a hand to brush this errant curl behind her ear, and his fingers passed over the soft skin of her cheek. She drew a shuddering breath, and her eyelids fluttered shut, breaking eye contact.

The spell broken, he withdrew, as hurriedly as he'd advanced. His senses were coming back to him as he retreated to a far corner of the room and avoided her gaze.

The dust seemed to pause, as both stood in their respective corners gathering their wits about them.


	5. Chapter 5

"You're ingenious, Yoh!!" Haruna was bouncing with excitement. Her plan was being executed beautifully.

She was holding the cell phones borrowed from Mami and Asaoka and had just helpfully added their contacts to the other's address book.

"We've planted the seed of a glorious love!!" Yoh couldn't help but smile at her happiness.

It was his idea to borrow their phones, so they couldn't call for help. Haruna was incapable of such finesse.

"I wonder what they're doing now."

"I wonder." Yoh mumbled and stretched out a hand to catch his butterfly, pulling her close for a kiss.

For a moment, there was peace. And the soft communicative look between lovers and flushing of cheeks.

How wrong he would have been if he had wondered.

Asaoka squeezed his eyes shut. He felt light-headed and his throat was dry. The room suddenly felt unbearably hot.

Everything felt unreal, even the sound of his own breathing.

Mortification seeped into his consciousness slowly.

Mami stood, unmoving. She watched his back intently, afraid that he would disappear if she moved her eyes away. A part of her was confused, but the other part was as clear as day.

Asaoka sensed her approach. He was suddenly very aware of her presence. He dared not look.

"Yes?" Mami was quiet, but he caught the word.

He nodded, or rather he felt himself nod, stupidly, like he didn't comprehend.

He felt a faint tug on his sleeve. Mami held onto a piece of the cloth. She wanted to see him, but he was being difficult.

"I'm not as good as you think I am. I might hurt you." Asaoka managed to find his voice.

"I don't mind the risk."

Asaoka turned around, eyes wide with incredulity. He'd forgotten he wasn't going to look. She was looking up at him with the prettiest smile he'd seen on anybody.

"I'm glad."

And he felt like crushing her in an embrace so tight she'd die from it.

Maybe she'd seen it in his eyes, that desire. Maybe the embarrassment finally caught up, but Mami jolted herself out of the happy glow and let go of his sleeve.

"Yoh's ingenious, isn't he?" Mami said, hoping that attention would be diverted.

"Huh, er yeah, I mean, he is…" Asaoka was still suitably confused.

"I don't suppose you've got your phone with you right?" Mami continued. He didn't fool her in the least.

"No, I lent it to Yoh…" Asaoka wasn't smart for nothing and he caught on immediately.

"Haruna couldn't possibly have thought of that." Asaoka shared a safe, relieved smile with Mami.

"They'll come get us soon."

"Yeah…"

Asaoka felt the muscles in his shoulders relax. The sudden startling thought sprung on him that he hadn't thought of Haruna the whole time he was in the room.

Perhaps, he thought next, everything will work out for the best.


	6. Chapter 6

Haruna apologized, at least the half that wasn't busy feeling pleased was trying to sound apologetic.

It was Haruna, and nobody could be mad at her.

She was gushing about something or other now, and made a great show of returning the phones to their owners, reminding them repeatedly to check their phones.

A wry smile twisted the corners of Yoh's mouth.

Asaoka had his smile, Yoh had his air of indifference and now it appeared that Mami was beginning to develop her own permanent expression around Haruna. It was a slightly exasperated, mildly harassed and greatly indulgent look.

Things had returned to normal, or so it seemed. Mami tried to ignore Haruna's meaningful looks. Asaoka felt that he would burst out laughing any moment.

It was tough, trying to pretend nothing happened. It was easier trying to hide the flamingo in the turkey roost.

Mami and Asaoka shared a secret look as Haruna chattered on, which did not escape Yoh's watchful eyes.

After Haruna tripped over her broken slipper and fell into his life, Yoh felt as if he would never be surprised at anything else the world could throw at him, but it was now evident that it was still sufficiently resourceful to throw him for a loop sometimes.

That night, Mami stared gloomily at the ceiling, hoping for sleep. Her phone lay temptingly on the bedside table. She'd found Asaoka's number nestled inconspicuously in the mass of contacts and she could swear it was taunting her.

Things were not much different in Asaoka's room. He'd resisted the urge to scan through his address book after its return; he thought it was incredibly stupid to be feeling expectant, like a child for candy.

Instead, he'd cleverly spent the rest of the afternoon feeling like an idiot while denying the thrill of anticipation every time a call or text came through.

Unfortunately, most of the texts were from Yoh, who didn't even text that much normally, about some extremely trivial thing or another, leading Asaoka to believe that he was being pranked, albeit very, very subtly.

Asaoka laid his wearied head on the soft pillow, and gave his phone a doleful look. It was on the bedside table too, and one can imagine why. (to better torment him of course.)

His mind wanders back to the time in the locked room, he's been trying to dismiss the thoughts, but he finds it difficult to suppress. He had to give Mami credit, for burdening him with such a fixation in the mere span of an afternoon.

Seeing with sudden clarity, possibly aided by some light from his memories of the afternoon, the fact that it'd be the stupidest if he actually lost sleep over it, Asaoka picked up his phone to write a message. It was sent before the clarity receded and plunged him back into a round of self-castigation.

Mami was watching her phone when it buzzed and gave her quite the jolt. She reached over, and hoped it was not from Haruna.

The glow from the screen illuminated the slowly growing smile. Her fingers flew as she quickly typed a message and sent the reply. She burrowed back into the covers, contented.

Asaoka felt the stupidity that had been weighing him down disappear as he read the text. He collapsed onto the bed, phone in hand.

Both dreamed something pleasant and sweet that night, but neither remembers the details, only a fleeting sense that it involved pink feathers and escape.


	7. Chapter 7

Asaoka couldn't sit still. He'd been edgy and restless all morning. Class had never felt like such a drag before.

Anyone who has attended advanced math will surely attest to the curious phenomenon of time slowing down, imperceptibly at first, and then with great abandon.

It was pure suffering, how he waited for that lunch bell.

In another classroom close by, the cause of his suffering was rather less affected, though Mami did feel a little sleepier than usual, having woken up early to do something very important. She yawned and stretched her feet, sneaking a satisfied glance at what was under her table.

Finally the bell rang and before anybody had the chance to rouse themselves from their calculus-induced stupor, Asaoka had already bolted through the door.

Mami was a little more sedate. She packed her books neatly and went over to Haruna, and told her she wouldn't be joining her for lunch, making up some random excuse. She then retrieved the important cargo carefully from her table before heading off leisurely.

It was a wonderful day in autumn, still warm for this time of the year, and the sunlight streamed pleasantly through the shade of the old trees at the back of the school.

Asaoka sat down at a step, panting slightly from the rush. He loosened another button on his shirt to catch more of the cooling breeze and raked his fingers through his hair to tame it but served to mess it up more instead.

Supported by his palms, he leaned back to seek the blue of the sky through the patchwork of leaves overhead. It was peaceful, quiet, and much to his liking.

And so Mami arrived at her destination, and promptly had her breath knocked out of her by the sight of the boy caught unguarded with tousled hair, lounging casual and carefree.

He was gorgeous, and she couldn't deny the heat that was rushing to her cheeks. She hugged the bag closer to her chest, fearing her heart would simply leap out if she didn't prevent it.

The next instant, she felt her heart clench as the niggling voice in her mind reminded her who his heart might still really long for, and her grip slackened. If she knew how tormented he had been the whole morning, she would have been much reassured, but she didn't, and more is the pity.

Pushing the agonizing thoughts away, and feeling sufficiently sobered (with help from harsh reality), she approached him.

He heard her call his name, and he turned quickly to seek her. He couldn't be sure, but he thought her smile looked a little forlorn from this distance. He was very happy to see her though, and the thought soon slipped away.

Mami cheered up a little when she saw his genuinely happy grin and the hope in her heart was fortified.

She settled herself in front of him, careful to tuck her skirt under her thighs. Now that she was close, she was starting to feel shy again. Fearing a blush if she met his gaze, she busied herself with taking the lunches out.

She had woken up at 6 to make bentos for 2, and she was extra careful in making everything look perfect. She handed him his lunch, and waited for his reaction as he opened it. She wasn't disappointed.

"This looks so good, Mami-chan, It'll be a waste to eat something so pretty, but I'm sure it's delicious just from looking at it…" Asaoka effused.

He took a bite and exclaimed how good it was again. He was being unfair, because he was making her blush yet again.

Seeing her blush was giving him ideas and he couldn't wait to see how red she could go if he teased her a bit. Mami poked at her food. Her self-consciousness wasn't helping the food go down at all.

"You'll make somebody a great bride, You'll keep him hungry for more."

Mami smiled abashedly. He chewed on the rice nonchalantly, pleased that his words had the desired effect.

"I might get addicted to home-made lunches and it'll be all your fault, Mami-chan. I'll find the canteen food so lacking that I'll have to kidnap you to make my lunches for me." Asaoka added gleefully.

"I don't mind, I'll make you lunch everyday if you like." Mami replied promptly and sweetly, and it was Asaoka's turn to blush. Hurriedly, he hid his face behind the bento box and chopsticks by shoveling a giant mouthful of food into his mouth.

"And I think I wouldn't mind it much if you really did kidnap me." Mami added with a devilish twinkle in her eye, as she watched him squirm.

She was going to be the death of him someday.


	8. Chapter 8

"Takahashi-sempai?" A tall lanky boy called out. Mami paused with laces in hand as she looked up into the excited face of a first year.

It was a face that was so familiar, but Mami couldn't put a name to it. It wasn't really her fault, because he had grown so much since the last time she saw him.

"It's me, Uesugi Hio from the boys' baseball team back in middle school. Don't you remember me?"

Mami's face lit up with the light of recognition which turned swiftly to delight. The business of changing shoes was forgotten as she stood up to give him a pat on the head, as she was wont to do in the past, but found herself unable to reach the top of his head. He bent his knees obligingly to lower himself to a more reasonable height and Mami ruffled his hair affectionately.

Hio couldn't help himself and swept his beloved sempai into a bone-crushing hug. He'd worked hard everyday, drinking lots of milk even though he didn't really like it (he likes it a little better now), and doing stretching exercises, even subconsciously in his sleep, as his brother informed him one day. Finally, the year was over (his growth spurt was not), he was in the same school as Mami-sempai again, and he was taller than her!

Mami was rescued by a slap to the back of Hio's head, delivered by Haruna, who recognized the underclassman straightaway, not least by the way he was acting around Mami-chan.

He dropped his prize and turned around to see Haruna-sempai, another beloved sempai, though not as beloved as Mami.

"Haruna-sempai! You're here too!" In his exuberance, he was about to engulf her in a bone-crushing hug as well, but was stopped in his tracks by the imposition of a tall, commanding figure in the form of one Komiyama Yoh who had stepped smoothly in between.

Seemingly oblivious to the dark and belligerent aura surrounding the interceptor, Hio poked his head around to search for Haruna.

"Who's this guy? You know him?" Hio asked innocently.

"I'm her boyfriend." Yoh deadpanned.

Hio grabbed Yoh's hand and shook it while chattering amicably. He didn't seem to notice Yoh's lack of a reciprocal grip.

"Haruna-sempai! You've got a boyfriend! I'm so happy for you. He's pretty handsome… and…"

"Komiyama Yoh" Yoh supplied tiredly at the prompting look that Hio was directing at him.

"… Komiyama-sempai, she's a real gem isn't she? Loved her to bits, loved watching her games. But you needn't worry, I'm not going to steal her, because my heart belongs only to Mami-sempai!!" Hio ended his chatter with this rather shocking revelation.

It wasn't that much of a surprise to Haruna or Mami, since he had been dogging her heels all through middle school.

"You're still going on about that?" Haruna asked, sharing an incredulous look with Mami.

They always thought that he meant it in a teasing/joking way when he said he liked Mami-chan. He said it so often and so loudly that everyone stopped taking him seriously. This didn't bother him the least, since he had resolved not to start a serious chase when he was still shorter than her. It didn't help that he was one year younger, he was small too, so he was effectively playing with a double handicap. He wanted to play to win.

Nobody except Yoh had noticed the stormy presence lurking furtively at the far corner of the shoe cabinets.

Asaoka had changed into his indoor shoes and had watched the morning drama unfold while sitting on the bench. He was intrigued at first, and amused at the head-patting, but his mood turned sour when he saw Hio grab Mami.

He felt himself lurch forward reflexively, wanting to pry the other boy's hands off his Mami-chan, yet he knew he didn't have a good enough reason or standing to intervene. He could swear he felt murderous for a second there.

There was also a painful feeling he was puzzled about, since it was similar to a feeling he had when watching Yoh with Haruna, but it was not quite the same. He knew he envied Yoh's contentment, but this was actually sharply painful, black and venomous.

Asaoka chuckled mirthlessly to himself. To think he was jealous of a first year.

Impossible.

The bell rang for first period, and the curious students dispersed. Yoh sneaked up beside him as he walked to class. Fumi came barreling towards the duo, bearing news.

"Asaoka, Yoh, have you heard? Some junior confessed his love to Mami just now."

"We were there." Yoh said, understatedly, glancing at his companion with a smirk, earning himself a dirty look. Fumi looked from Yoh to Asaoka and back to Yoh. He was, understandably, confused as to why neither of them seemed to care about such tremendous news.

Hio's shoe-cabinet declaration caused a ripple through the school's gossip mills, grinding away at the latest juicy tidbits. It was quickly forgotten though, for the same reason it was quickly forgotten in middle school. Hio simply didn't bother to hide his feelings and Mami wasn't disturbed in the least by his proclamations. There is simply no fun in exposing something that nobody wants secret.


	9. Chapter 9

Yoh was having the time of his life. He couldn't believe he'd lived to see this day (the past few days in fact), but he had. It was supremely difficult trying to hide his merriment though, and rolling around the floor with laughter would just be unseemly.

It was lunchtime and Komiyama Yoh was basking in the sullen glow of the death vibes that his best friend was emitting. Seeing somebody get his comeuppance was always thoroughly enjoyable, and in this particular instance, he didn't even have to do anything.

Yoh almost choked on his chocolate milk as Asaoka stabbed his chopsticks viciously into the katsu of his katsudon. He could be imagining it, but he was sure that thunder had just rumbled in the distance.

It wasn't difficult to see what was upsetting him so. A very loud and annoying first year had settled himself next to Mami-chan at their table, and had proceeded to cling onto her side shamelessly like a limpet.

This uninvited guest had invited himself over during lunch a few days ago, and he'd never left since.

Mami, being her usual nice, tolerant and indulgent self seemed not to mind very much, and appeared only a little embarrassed that he was making such a ruckus in front of everyone else.

She nodded distractedly at something Hio had said, and looked over at Asaoka, who had left his chopsticks embedded in the katsudon and was glaring at a point straight ahead.

He had started looking rather glum and serious on Monday, and had progressed to a state of utter abjection on Wednesday. It was now Thursday.

It was perplexing, and Mami hadn't had a chance to talk to him about it, but she was reassured by the thought that she would have him all to herself soon, because Fridays were their secret-lunch day.

Unfortunately for everyone, but mostly for Hio, the pot always boils over the moment you turn your back on it.

A.N. I wonder if this is a good place to leave it, with them all dangling miserably over the precipice of something dangerously deep, but it felt just about right, so there. I'll go hunt for some rope…


	10. Chapter 10

It was Friday Maths, and the combination couldn't be worse. Friday should be the day of rest, the day when the wheels of activity grind slowly to a halt with everyone slipping into the lazy stupor of the weekend. Nobody should be forced to do anything, much less calculations of areas under a graph, or the steepness of the incline of a curve.

Asaoka's mood had recovered somewhat since yesterday, the thought of a secret lunch meeting cheering him up considerably.

Mr Yamazaki, the long-suffering maths teacher, was no longer surprised by the whoosh and blur of movement through the door as the lunch bell rang. Asaoka-kun had been practically teleporting away from his class the minute it ended.

Unfortunately, teleporting was exactly what Asaoka needed. He had decided halfway through math class that he had better pick Mami up outside her classroom instead of meeting her at the designated spot.

He felt his heart drop all the way to his toes when he got to the second years' corridor and saw one particular pesky first year talking to Mami-chan. His footsteps quickened as he approached them, cursing inwardly to himself.

The other second years didn't pay him much attention, since he, Yoh and Fumi frequently show up in their corridor for Haruna, Asami and Mami. Some noticed that he was alone, which was unusual, but didn't think much of it.

"Mami-sempai, are those bento boxes you're holding?" Hio said.

"Yeah…" Mami had seen Asaoka, and he wasn't smiling.

"Is the other one for Haruna-sempai?" Hio asked hopefully. Hopefully, because it would mean that she had made one for him if it wasn't for Haruna-sempai.

Mami shook her head, unaware of his question. She could tell that Asaoka was in a foul mood, and it vexed her.

"So it must be for me! Mami-sempai, you shouldn't have gone to such trouble just to tell me you like me too!" Hio was overjoyed.

Mami gaze snapped back to him in horror as what he was saying finally registered in her head. She shook her head frantically while protesting. Hio reached out to grab one of her boxes, and Mami was snatching it away in a flurry of motion when everything in the universe just stopped.

To say that he was agitated would be the understatement of the century. His agitation had reached the sublime, such that it could scarcely be observed. His eyes held a devastating gleam, and his smile was so genial and sparkly, it actually hurt to look. His grip on Hio's arm, like the unholy gleam in his eye, betrayed his murderous intent.

Mami was a little frightened for Hio, but the prey himself didn't seem at all fazed to be held fast in the jaws of death. It seemed that he was only curious who this tall stranger was.

"I would stop if I were you." Asaoka spoke, in a voice low and smooth as honey. Mami was transfixed.

"I would suggest that you stop harassing my Mami-chan…" The smile was blinding.

"And I would also recommend that you stop trying to take what was made for…" Asaoka continued as he dropped Hio's arm like a dead rat.

"Me." Asaoka plucked the bento box from Mami's unresisting fingers.

He stepped between them to manoeuver Mami away from the shorter boy. He was triumphantly pleased to discover that he was at least two inches taller than Hio.

"Shall we go?" Asaoka turned his charm on Mami, who nodded mutely. Who could resist that voice?

Asaoka placed a hand on the small of her back (Mami was too shell-shocked to notice that he'd taken such a liberty.) to steer her away from the scene. He turned to give Hio one last disparaging and victorious smirk. Some second years had stopped to watch and they gasped at the pure wickedness of that expression.

Poor Hio was left quite dazed. It took several moments after their departure for what Asaoka had said to sink it. "His Mami-chan!? What!? Hio wailed to himself and scared away some second years.


End file.
